“Drexel” is the fifteenth episode of Season 3 of The Blacklist and the fifty ninth episode overall.
Synopsis[]
A man spending the first night in his house, he is on the phone with his business partner and bragging that their start-up company is growing faster than 98 percent of other companies in the country. He hangs up and is attacked and strangled to death by an intruder. He props his victim’s body up on the couch and puts a glass of full wine in his lifeless hand and pretends to snap a photo of the dead body before he leaves.
Meanwhile, Tom is being rushed in to the emergency room, he tried to remove one of his bullets himself and he is bleeding out. Of course, the doctor on call is Liz’s ex and he recognizes Tom. Elizabeth is freaking out because she hasn’t heard from Tom. She pays Red a visit at an art exhibit and demands to know if he did something to Tom.
Red says that they have other problems, a crime scene photo has hit the internet of Randy Brenner, he was the man that was just killed in his brand new house in Virginia. It wasn’t a burglary gone wrong or a crime of possession, it is a “work of art” by the serial killer and performance artist Drexel. Last year Drexel murdered a CFO of an animal feeding operation, he hung the man up on the hook like the cattle that they butcher.
Red explains to Elizabeth that Drexel’s work shows up in unexpected locations, and he has fans that follow his underground protest movement. Drexel released a poster with Brenner’s dead body on it and the caption, “Coming Soon! The next masterpiece is underway!”. It looks like he plans on killing again.
Elizabeth takes Drexel’s poster back to the FBI to brief them on the murder. Red is trying to track down a reporter named Ramona, supposedly she landed an exclusive interview with the killer. Cooper can tell that something is wrong, he takes Elizabeth aside and asks if everything is okay, Elizabeth confesses that she is upset because Tom is missing. Elizabeth realizes that Samar must have told Cooper about the adoption.
Ressler visits the crime scene in Virginia and gets briefed by the local police. Randy’s partner Joseph Adelson found his body that morning when he showed up to work on their project. Ressler looks around the crime scene and finds a camera – he realizes that Drexler has been watching the crime scene live all morning.
Ressler and Samar sit down with Joseph Alderson to discuss his and Randy’s company, they built a website that combines stocks, trading news, financial research, and news all in one portal. Joseph doesn’t understand why they are asking so many questions, he thought Randy’s death was just a burglary gone wrong. Ressler can tell that Joseph is hiding something, but he doesn’t think that he knows who the killer is.
Aram calls Ressler to update him on the camera that he pulled from the crime scene, he hasn’t seen anything that complex since the NSA had a model on display at a security briefing. Ressler tells Aram to call the security director and set up a meeting ASAP.
Meanwhile, Red is up to his usual tricks, he shows up at a Chinese restaurant and orders the Fugo Kimo, it’s a poison found in blowfish. If it is cooked properly then you will get an adrenaline rush, if it is cooked wrong then you will die. The chef throws a rage rant and asks Red what he is thinking, Red laughs and says he doesn’t want the blowfish. He is looking for information on the reporter named Ramona that interviewed him last year.
Ressler and Samar meet with the security director, he confirms that the spy tool is from the NSA. He tells Ressler that if someone has it, and it is “out there in the wild” then they have National Security Issue. That camera software can be used to hack in to anything and access the cameras, even baby monitors. The director takes Ressler and Samar out on the floor and looks for one of the employees named Aaron Mulgrew, if anyone knows how the software got released, then it is him. As soon as the FBI agents are spotted, Aaron makes a run for it. Samar and Ressler chase him down and bring him in to custody.
Elizabeth’s friend calls her from the hospital; he tells her that Tom has been shot. She rushes down there, but Tom is not awake. The doctor tells her that he just came out of surgery and he isn’t in the clear yet. Liz learns that the police were there and Tom is wanted for robbery. The doctor tells her that it sounds serious.
Red is busy trying to track down Ramona, but Elizabeth tracks him down. Elizabeth is freaking out, she blames Red for Tom’s shooting. Red laughs that he had nothing to do with it, it was all Tom’s doing. He tells her about the diamond heist that was worth over a 100,000,000 dollars and tells Liz that Tom’s ex-girlfriend Gina was working with him on the robbery. Red says that Tom is obviously reckless and dangerous and isn’t “worthy” of being a father.
Donald questions Aaron and he gives them his computer so that they can track the computers that downloaded the NSA software from the website that he put it on. They use the process of elimination to track down the most recent download in NYC. They rush to the address and Ressler and Samar find something interesting, it’s a sketch of a tombstone with Reddington’s name on it. Red is going to be Drexler’s next victim.
Elizabeth gets a phone call from the hospital, Tom is awake, she rushes back to the hospital to see him. She barely has time to hug him and a cop barges in and tells her that she needs to leave the room. As she is pushed out the door she shouts at Tom not to say a word and to wait for a lawyer. The police begin questioning Tom, he insists that it is all a coincidence that he came in shot and happened to match the description of one of the robbers.
Meanwhile, Aram has been researching the address. He learns that Drexel’s real name is Reginald Turner and he rented the apartment about 7 months ago. At the apartment Ressler and Samar find research on Joseph and Brenner, he has been watching them for over 6 months, there obviously is a whole lot more to the start-up company that got Brenner killed.
Red finally tracked down Ramona, he blackmailed her in to giving up Drexel. Red and Dembe follow Ramona to an art gallery where she is supposed to meet up with Drexel for an interview. Ramona slips away and in to the basement, Red and Dembe chase after her. Red and Dembe find Ramona in the nick of time, right before Drexel kills her.
Back at the FBI office, Aram makes a shocking discovery, Brenner wasn’t the only person that Drexel was watching. He had camera feeds on 4 other people’s computers set up. They rush to one of the addresses and it turns out to be a warehouse and Brenner’s partner Joseph is in charge, they have computer systems up on the wall that are hacked in to hundreds of random peoples’ webcams at their homes.
Samar is baffled and asks “What the hell is this place”. Joseph explains that their financial app was just a front. They were running a “Rat Farm”. They have thousands of feeds in to sorority girls houses, politicians, cops, whoever you want to spy on. And, they were charging people subscription fees to watch the stolen feeds.
Klerken arrives at the hospital to ID Tom as the man that robbed him. Klerken tells the police that Tom works for him and is one of the security officers, he tells the police that Tom wasn’t the robber, he was protecting the diamonds and that is how he got shot. Tom and Elizabeth are obviously baffled as to why Klerken is shielding him.
At the hospital, Nik explains to Elizabeth and Tom that he is the one that arranged for Kirken to lie. Apparently, Nik works for Red too. When Tom came in, he called Red and told him what happened. Red saved Tom for Liz. Elizabeth pays Red a visit afterwards and thanks him for getting Klerken to lie and getting Tom out of his latest jam.
The FBI is arresting Drexler, Red actually didn’t kill him and gave his location to the feds and let them have him. It looks like this story isn’t over though, Aram still has unaccounted for computer feeds, and it looks like Drexler may have had an accomplice.
Elizabeth pays Tom a visit back at the hospital, she tells him that she has changed her mind and she wants to keep the baby and they are going to be a family.
Red is still trying to track down Rostova, he heads to an address where a painting was commissioned by her. When he arrives the dealer is already expecting him and says that Rostova knew he would be coming and she wanted him to have the painting. Red unwraps the painting and it is a picture of a tombstone with his name on it, just like the sketch that Drexler made.
Press Release[]
After the founder of a successful internet start-up is found dead, Red recognizes the crime scene as the work of a notorious killer. Liz and the task force work with Red to track the murderer through a dangerous underground news source. Meanwhile, Tom faces a life threatening situation, while Liz considers options for her baby.
Number on The Blacklist[]
- 113
Unanswered Questions[]
- This episode was a reference to the National Security Agency and its surveillance programs.
- Elizabeth Keen
- Liz cannot break free of Red. He has manipulated her into forming an emotional attachment and can blackmail her when needed.
- Why the interest in Liz’s personal life?
- Raymond Reddington
- The images used for the media art display seemed to be a foreshadowing of the storyline.
- How does Red trap people? Liz and Korpal stated that Red controls them.
- What did Red do/say to Reinder-De Groot and/or Geert Klerken to save Tom? Was it a threat or bribe?
- Why did Red tell the FBI where Turner was?
- A: Red didn't need him anymore.
- Q: Red has killed other Blacklisters after interrogating them. Turner can tell the FBI what Red wanted to know.
- Who sent the painting?
- A: Katarina Rastova commissioned the painting. Turner sent the painting to the art dealer.
- Who told Red that he should find the painting? He had to have been told this by somebody before any action of this episode started.
- A: Red was led to the painting by the sender and Turner's actions.
- Reginald Turner
- Why did Turner use the “artistic” murder to portray his social messages?
- A: Probably because it draws attention.
- Will Turner’s arrest lead the FBI to other criminal operations? He can tell them about his other targets.
- Why did Turner have the Reddington painting/draft in his loft?
- A: That seemed to be where he practiced his art.
- Why did Turner turn to crime after his first art exhibition failed?
- Why did Turner use the “artistic” murder to portray his social messages?
- Nik Korpal
- Why did Korpal agree to work for Red? He stated that he regretted the decision.
- How did Red locate Korpal? Red did not know Korpal's name in “Leonard Caul”.
- A: Red could have learned his name from Liz, Dembe, or Nemec. He could have also used Glenn to find him.
- How did Red recruit Korpal? Was it a threat or bribe?
- A: Most likely money, as that was what originally got Korpal to help Red.
- Why did Red recruit Korpal?
- A: He needed another medic.
- Aaron Mulgrew
- Mulgrew’s use of the phone-home log competent was useless. He could/would not inform his superiors if he realized that the remote administration tool was being used by the “wrong” person. It is difficult to hide phone-home functionality in malware.
- Why did Mulgrew say “last day” when he saw the NSA administrator?
- A: Mulgrew did not say “last day“. His coworker said that. It meant that he thought someone was being fired.
- Q: Why did the coworker believe that somebody was being fired?
- A: He thought someone did something seriously wrong and would be fired for that, otherwise so many officials wouldn't be there.
- Why did Randy Brenner and/or Joseph P. Adelson not realize that the remote administration tool had been used against them?
- A: It was not turned against them. Randy Brenner and Joseph P. Adelson had their own copy, while Turner had his own copy.
- Why did everybody use the term remote access trojan?
- A: “Remote Administration Tool” doesn't sound nefarious to an uninformed person. The writers likely opted for this more obvious term while keeping the RAT abbreviation.
- A: RAT can refer to the Remote desktop software (Remote administration tool) or the Remote access trojan.
- Will the National Security Agency be able to regain control of the remote administration tool since the FBI found the hackers command center?
Slanders on the FBI, NSA, and Police[]
- Why did the National Security Agency not know that the remote administration tool (RAT) had been stolen?
- Why did the Post Office task force state that a woman was incapable of the strength shown in Randy Brenner’s murder?
- A: The taskforce states that it is unlikely to be a woman because males and females typically use different methods of murder. Breaking a person's neck is more predominately found in murders by males. Removing these potential assailants helps the taskforce identify a suspect.
- Why did the local police deem the murder a robbery?
- A: Crime statistics.
Cast[]
Main star[]
- James Spader as Raymond Reddington
- Megan Boone as Elizabeth Keen
- Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler
- Ryan Eggold as Tom Keen
- Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai
- Mozhan Marnò as Samar Navabi
- Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma
- Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper
Guest star[]
- Daniel London as Reginald Turner
- Chris Chalk as John Addison
- John Cariani as Aaron Mulgrew
- Piter Marek as Dr. Nik Korpal
- Samantha Soule as Rachel Hobbs
- Ray Proscia as Geert Klerken
- David St. Louis as Detective Quinn
- Ben Livingston as Thomas McCloskey
- Andres Munar as Editor
- James Andrew O'Connor as Detective Savino
- David Adkins as Paul Allond
Co-star[]
- Quincy Dunn-Baker as Randy Brenner
- Holly Chou as Dr. Briggs
- Ai Kiyono as Hostess
- Tatsuo Ichikawa as Chef Hanzo
- Michael Hauschild as Cubicle Mate
- Los Jones as Security Guard
- Hugues Faustin as Tactical Leader
- Anjuli Sanneman as Edgy Art Student
- Jake Soister as Rat Farm Security
Gallery[]
External Links[]
| Season 3 Episodes |
|---|
| · The Troll Farmer · Marvin Gerard · Eli Matchett · The Djinn · Arioch Cain · Sir Crispin Crandall · Zal Bin Hasaan · Kings of the Highway · The Director · The Director: Conclusion · Mr. Gregory Devry · The Vehm · Alistair Pitt · Lady Ambrosia · Drexel · The Caretaker · Mr. Solomon · Mr. Solomon: Conclusion · Cape May · The Artax Network · Susan Hargrave · Alexander Kirk · Alexander Kirk: Conclusion · |